


These Cruel Stars Above

by ambivalentlangst



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: ;), Hance - Freeform, Lance's mom is so good and loving, Langst, M/M, can be interpreted as romantic or platonic idc, home coming fic that has a happy ending, hunk and lance are childhood friends, love her, she narrates!!!, such babes, uhhh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-02
Updated: 2018-01-02
Packaged: 2019-02-27 05:03:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13241001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ambivalentlangst/pseuds/ambivalentlangst
Summary: Esperanza McClain was a woman of many talents, but most importantly she knew how to love. Only, when one has a son that's fighting a war one can't even begin to fathom, gifts can be turned to curses.





	These Cruel Stars Above

**Author's Note:**

> What is up my dudes winter break is over soon and I need to do homework so naturally I chose to do anything but that and here we are. Here’s some of Lance and his mom, with ;) a ;) happy ;) ending ;)
> 
> * * *
> 
> tw: descriptions of violence, major character death

   Esperanza McClain was a woman of many traits. She could run faster then anybody in town in her youth, and could out talk them too. With her hands on her hips and a steely gaze that made any god fearing human eager to please, the world made way for her, not the other way around. Her husband was a sweet, stuttering man at her side, who only laughed as she went off into tangents and pressed a kiss to her cheek afterwards. Esperanza loved him with all her heart. That in and of itself was another talent of hers. Esperanza gave comfort out freely, to her children, to her family, to anybody who needed a good meal and a warm hug. If nothing else, Esperanza McClain was best at loving.

   When her youngest disappeared in an ‘accident’ it was her love that saved her. She grieved, she’d be damned in anybody told her she didn’t grieve. She’d sobbed on her husband’s shoulder for weeks, but of course only in the night when her other children and their children weren’t watching. Mother, grandmother, she had to remain strong. She washed her face in the morning of its tear stains and put her head up high to go about life as normal, despite the gaping hole left in their family. She would remain strong to protect those she loved.

   Then, Lance returned to her. 

   She opened the door one day and there he was, dressed in strange armor and bearing a strange smile, scarred and haggard but yet so strong.

   “I’m home, mama,” he told her, and she flung herself at him. She would hold him close, never let him be stolen, permanently anyways, again. She pushed her ear to his chest, listening to his heart beat. Her precious little boy, her son, had returned home from the sky that snatched him up. She planted kiss after kiss to the face that, though still naturally olive, was pale from lack of sun. With tears in her eyes she squished his cheeks in her calloused palms and turned his face to look down at her.

   “Don’t you ever do that to me again,” she whispered fiercely, and then she let her head fall over his shoulder that he had to squat down for her to reach and she wailed. Lance was swarmed by his other family in time, but Esperanza got him first. Her son, her beautiful child who had come back with countless tales of the universe and a new family Esperanza took no time at all to envelop into her fold. That was just who she was.

   She knew they had to leave, that it was only a brief stop, but Lance held her hands in his and hugged her hard in his strong arms before he turned to his ship.

   “I’ll be back mama, I promise. I love you, I’ll come back to you, just wait.” And so she did.

   Esperanza waited as Lance wanted, wrung her hands as she thought of the worlds on his shoulders and the danger he was always in. Still, she reasoned with herself. He had his friends. Hunk, the sweet boy who had been with Lance for as long as she could remember, and that leader of theirs, who though was tall and broad had a brokenness in his eyes Esperanza had treated with forced rest and plenty of good food. Shiro, Keith, Hunk, Pidge, Allura, Coran. They would bring him back safe and sound, and though of course a mother never stopped fretting, she was content. Her grandchildren were consoled with the fact that their uncle could shoot a loose nail off their crooked picket fence from a hundred yards away, his siblings teased him about the cow, and all was well. Then, they all came back.

   There was again, the knock on the door. Esperanza very, very rarely had any visitor who couldn’t come bursting in. It was raining, but that was fine. She loved the rain too, loved to take the children out to splash because then she got to bundle them up tight and take care of them afterwards. She ran like she hadn’t in years, ready to throw open the door and see her child again. Only instead, Hunk greeted her.

   His yellow armor had water all over it, shiny and slick as he stood in the entry overhang. Behind him, in the yard were the others. Esperanza sighed, grabbing Hunk’s arm.

   “Hunk, honey you’re going to get wet. Tell everyone to come on in and I’ll start making hot chocolate. The twins were over so I’m a little low on blankets but I should be able to make-” Hunk cut her off, very uncharacteristic of Lance’s ever polite friend.

   “Mrs. McClain, we can’t stay. I’m sorry.” Esperanza scowled, turning and ignoring the tremor to his voice.

   “Nonsense, it’s just a little drink,” she protested, but as she looked back to Hunk she saw something in his arms, outstretched to her. A blue helmet, though there was a spatter of something rusty on the side. Esperanza felt her heart stop.

   “Hunk, what is this? Lance needs that.” Her brown eyes scanned the lawn for the blue she knew him to be adorned with, but there was nothing. Only what Hunk had to offer. Her hands began to shake, but she did not take the piece of armor.

   “Where is my son, Hunk?” she whispered, staring desperately into his dark face. He wouldn’t meet her eyes.

   “I’m sorry. He–we–it was an accident. The caves were shaky, and we were ambushed. He,” Hunk swallowed, and Esperanza could see the tears sliding down his cheeks, “He shoved me out of the way.” Esperanza took the helmet in trembling fingers, her eyes damp in a manner that couldn’t be chalked up to the rain.

   “Don’t you have anything else to give me? His body, at least? Please, we get a proper funeral, don’t we?” Hunk shook his head after a moment of stillness.

   “We couldn’t salvage it.” Esperanza crumpled to her knees, pressing her forehead to the cool material of what was supposed to keep her baby safe. All she could imagine was him dying, crushed under rock on a strange place so very far from home. His final resting place the same spot he had perished. His beautiful eyes dull and unseeing. The first sob was ripped from her lips, and she looked up at the others. She couldn’t tell if it was just the rain or tears on their faces, but she hurt. She could no longer look at Hunk, though he still stood in front of her. Lance was supposed to come home, play with his family and give her more hugs and listen while she puttered around the kitchen and swatted his hands away when he tried to help. She clasped the helmet, her last reminder of her lost child, to her breast and let the sobs shake her frame.

   Esperanza loved with all her heart, and that same talent destroyed her.  



End file.
